Caster



n. G. RAMBO ET AL .2,126,811

cAsTER Y Filed July 15, 193e' 2 sheets-sheet 2 Aug. 16, 193s.

IN VEN TOR. /A/GA/e @P4/waa & By @En 6712/4552.

e f ATT EY Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT `omer.

CASTER Ingar G. Rambo, Wauwatosa, and Fred H. Graser,

Milwaukee, Wis., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Safway Steel Scaflolds Co. of America., Wilmington, Del., a corporation' of Dela- Application July 15, 1936, Serial No. 90,712

9 Claims;

lting them to be intentionally disengaged readily.

Another object is to provide a footing for a scaffold employing the said connecting member. In certain classes of work, notably in the finishing of the interior of buildings, it is desirable to have a scaffold which is readily movable. At the same time it is essential that the scaffold be secured against all movement when men are working on the structure. Casters have proved ob- `,'lectional because the entire weight of the scaffold and superposed load is borne directly by the caster axle, which weakens the entire structure.

Another object is to provide a footing which is convertible from a stationary to a. rolling footing in which the stationary footing is substantially as strong as the scaffold sections which it supports. l

Another object is to provide 4a footing for a scaffold or vthe like, which may be converted from a stationary to a rolling footing and which in its stationary position has all weight removed from pins or axles. y

A further object of the invention is to provide 'a suitable handle for the footing which wm permit the scaiold to be readily shifted from the rolling to the stationary footing.

Other objects will be apparent upon considering the accompanying drawings and the following specification.

In the drawings:

Fig.. 1 is an end view of a scaffold of the type shown and described in the United States patent to Reinhold A. Uecker, Serial No. 2,043,498, patented June 9, 1936, 'showing the footing members in both stationary and rolling positions;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the rolling footing for the scaffold, the section being taken through the centers of the pivoted pin and the wheel axle;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the rolling footing, with parts being broken away to more clearly show other parts;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a shifting handle which is used to convert the rolling footing to the stationary footing;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of a stationary seaffold footing embodying the principles of this invention; and

Fig. 6 is an elevational view, partly in crosssection. of a connecting pin to join two adjacent scaffold posts.

The scaffold is built up in sections, each sec- '5 tion comprising a pair of end frames I0 (one of which is shown) spaced from each other and connected together by cross braces (not shown) in a manner fully described in the aforesaid Uecker patent. Posts I I of the end frames are connected 10 by horizontal braces I2-I2 and are preferably made tubular to accommodate coupling pins I3-I3 which are best shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. 6 it will be seen that the pins .I3 comprise a tubular shank I4 of sufcient size to t readily into'the tubular posts I I of the frames I0. The ends of the tube I4 are tapered as at I5, to permit easy entry into the posts II. A collar I6 is formed of the same size '2 material as the posts II and is brazed onto the tubular shank I4. This collar serves to hold the pin securely in place in the post and rests on top of one post Il when the pin I3 is in place, while the superposed post ts over the top ofthe pin I3 and rests on the top of the collar so that the superposed posts II are separated by the width of the collar I6.

A pair of friction grips I1 are formed of spring material such as brass and project out through an opening I8 in the side of the tube I4, as shown, and contact the interior surface of the posts II to prevent accidental withdrawal of the couplings.

Any number of additional sections may be superimposed on the lower sections and the scaffold built to any height.

A footing member. shown in Fig. 5, may be placed on the bottom of the lowermost posts to provide a suitable bearing surface. The footing comprises a tube 2li similar to the upper half of the tubular shank I4 with a spring friction grip 2l mounted therein to yieldably retain the footing in place on the post. f

A plate 23 is welded, as at 24, or otherwise connected to the tube 20. and provides suitable bearing surface to distribute the weight of the equipment to the foundation.

The rolling footing or caster is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and comprises a connecting tube 28 with a friction grip 29 therein, similar to the tube 2U'and grip 2|, respectively, of the footing shown in Fig. 5. A plate 30 is connected to the tube 28 preferably by welding as at 3|, and forms a base upon which the caster pivots about a vertical axis.

A yoke 33 is pivoted to the plate 30 by a nori mally vertical connecting pin 35, which projects through both the yoke 33 and the plate 30 and may be riveted inside the tube 28. The pin 35 is designed to keep the yoke 33 and the plate in spaced relationship with a ball race 36 between the yoke and the plate 30 to insure free rotation of the yoke.

A caster wheel 40 is mounted on a horizontal axis offset from the axis of the tube 28 and pin 35 to insure the scaffold traveling in the direction in which it is pushed. As shown in the drawings, the caster wheel has a bearing 43 which runs on an axle 44 mounted on a carrying bolt 45.

lA stirrup 50 has one corresponding corner of each leg rounded on a circular arc, as shown at |,upon which edge surface the stirrup is adapted to rotate on the plate 30. A longitudinally extending slot 52 is formed through both legs of the stirrup with the center portion of the slot approximately concentric with the arc 5l. Pins 53 extend through holes in the yoke 33 and through the slots 52, and have a head 54 formed on the outside of the stirrup to prevent disengagement of the stirrup 50 from the yoke 33.

The pins 53 form pivots about which the stirrup may rotate from its inactive position, shown at A on Fig. l, to its active or supporting position, shown at B in Fig. 1. In the active or supporting position, shown at B, Fig. 1, the caster Wheel is raised off the floor and the entire weight of the scaffold is transmitted from the plate 30 through the stirrup to the floor. It will be noted that the position of the slots 52 precludes any possibility of the scaffold weight being borne by the pins 53. In its inactive position, A in Fig. 1, the stirrup 50 is on the trailing side of the caster wheel, so

that if the stirrup should touch the floor it would not act as a brake.

Fig. 4 shows a lifting lever 5l used to shift the scaffold from position A to position B.

The lever is made of rectangulary material, and has a bent back end or hook 58 which engages one edge of the stirrup 50, and a lug 59 spaced from the hook 58 which engages the opposite edge of the same leg of the stirrup 50. By applying pressure to the outer end of the lever the stirrup is caused to pivot about the pin 53 and transfer the weight of the scaffold from the caster wheel 40 to the stirrup 50.

A hook 60 is provided on the end of the lever remote from the hook 58, to enable the lever to be hung from the horizontal braces I2 joining the posts Il.

Having thus described the invention, it is apparent that it is susceptible to Various changes and modifications and it is not therefore, desired to limit the invention to the precise form herein shown and described, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, a footing member comprising, a base plate, a yoke pivoted on an axis perpendicular to the plate,

an axle carried by the yoke parallel to the plate, a caster wheel mounted on said axle, and a stirrup v pivoted to the yoke and engageable with the plate to raise the caster off the ground and transmit` the weight of the scaffold directly from the plate through the stirrup to the ground.

'2. A caster of the character described comprising. a base plate, a yoke carried by said base plate, a caster wheel carried by said yoke and adapted to roll on a bearing surface, and means rotatable about a pivot on said yoke and engageable with the base plate and the bearing surface when in one position to raise the caster wheel off the bearing surface and support the base plate independently of the said wheel.

3. A caster of the character described comprising, a base plate, a yoke pivoted to said base plate, a caster wheel carried by said yoke and adapted to roll on a bearing surface, a pivot member carried by said yoke, and a stirrup having an elongated hole extending lengthwise and engageable over said pivot member, said stirrup being engageable when in vertical position with the base plate and the bearing surface to transmit the `load directly from the base plate to the bearing surface.

4. A caster of the character described comprising, a bearing plate, a caster wheel swivelly mounted from said bearing plate, a U-shaped stirrup member` pivotally mounted from said caster, a cam surface formed on one of the upwardly extending legs of the stirrup and engageable with the und side of said bearing plate to raise the caster wheel off the ground and transmit the load directly from the bearing plate through the stirrup to the ground.

5. A caster of the character described comprising, a bearing plate, a caster wheel swivelly mounted from said bearing plate, a U-shaped stirrup member pivotally mounted from said caster, cam surfaces formed on the sides of the stirrup at the open end thereof and engageable with the under side of said bearing plate to raise the caster wheel off the ground and transmit the load directly from. the bearing plate through the stirrup to the ground.

6. A caster of the character described comprising, a bearing plate, a caster wheel depending from and swivelly connected with said caster, a stirrup member comprising a base plate, and a side plate projecting upwardly from each side of Said base plate, cam surfaces formed on the upper ends of said side plates engageable with the lower face of said bearing plate to lift the caster wheel off the ground as the stirrup is rotated into vertical position and transmit the load directly from the bearing plate through the stirrup to the ground.

7. In a caster of the character described, a bearing plate, a caster wheel swivelly mounted from said bearing plate, a stirrup comprising a base plate and side plates on the opposite sides of said base plate provided with elongated slots, pivot means carried by said caster and engageable in said slots to form a fulcrum about which said stirrup may turn, cam surfaces on the upper edges of said side plates engageable with the lower faceof the bearing plate to lift the caster off the ground as the stirrup rotates about the fulcrum, whereby the weight is transmitted directly from the bearing plate through the stirrup to the ground.

8. In a caster of the character described, a bearing plate, a yoke swivelly mounted on said bearing plate, a caster wheel rotatably mounted in said yoke, a stirrup comprising a `base plate and side plates on the opposite sides of said base plate provided with elongated slots, pivot means carried by said yoke and engageable in Said slots to form a fulcrum about which said stirrup may turn, cam surfaces on the upper edges of said side plates engageable with the lower face of the bearing plate to lift the caster off the ground as the stirrup rotates about the fulcrum, whereby the weight is transmitted directly from the bearing plate through the stirrup to the ground.

mamen v I3 9. In a. device of the character described, a footing member comprising, a. bearing plate. a.

'caster swivelly connected on vertical axis with the wheel thereof rotatable about e, horizontal axis. and a. stirrup pivotally connected to the footing member and adapted to be rotated on said pivotal connection. to position the stiri'up directly 

